“We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:20-21
Understanding who we are is critical to accomplishing our mission, and every mission is sending a message. What is the message you are trying to send?
God desires a personal relationship with you. He desires it so much that He sent His only Son to die in your place so that you could be reconciled back to Him. That’s one powerful message! It has been communicated since Pentecost in Acts 2 that Jesus continues to partner with people like you and me to accomplish His mission. Jesus brought the Kingdom of Heaven to earth, and how we treat others gives us an audience to communicate this eternal message.
Yet when we lose our understanding of who we are, we tend to focus less on the mission and more on self-preservation. That message is worthless, and no matter how hard we try, that message hurts others. The message of reconciliation, however, looks to bless others by placing their needs above our own. When we do this, we are giving “street cred” to our message. When we don’t, our actions drown out our words, no matter how loud we shout.
Is the life you are living reflective of this message or is it contradictory to it? Make every effort to match your actions to the message you want to send.
— Brian Hommel, Arizona Diamondbacks chaplain
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